CAIRO, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held phone talks with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Tuesday, during which they discussed the recent ceasefire agreement proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden to end the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Shoukry and Cameron jointly urged Israel and Hamas to accept the agreement and end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
"The two ministers agreed to continue close consultation and coordination to continue pushing towards achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and ending the worsening humanitarian crisis in the strip," said the statement.
Shoukry stressed Egypt's support for all the efforts aimed at ending the Israeli war against Gaza, ensuring full and unhindered access to humanitarian aid for the Gazans, as well as ensuring the complete Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and the safe return of internally displaced Palestinians to their homes.
Announced in late May, Biden's ceasefire proposal came nearly eight months after Israel started its massive onslaught on Gaza, which has so far killed more than 36,000 Palestinians and injured more than 82,000 others.
The Israeli escalation followed a surprise attack by Hamas on southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7 last year, in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and over 200 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli reports. Peace talks between the two sides have made little progress for the past few months as the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates day by day. ■
